1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to methods of modifying farm equipment and, more particularly, to a method of modifying a grinder-mixer unit into a seed tender unit which includes the steps of providing the grinder, removing the mixing auger from the grinder bin, disconnecting the outlet device from the grinding device, removing the grinding device from the frame, forming a seed output opening in the bottom of the bin, mounting a false floor plate within the generally upright bin at an angle relative to horizontal, replacing the outlet device with an extended seed output auger, connecting the lower end of the seed output auger to the seed output opening and connecting the seed output auger to a power device for rotating the auger to transfer seed through the auger to a desired location.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Farmers are among the most important and least appreciated workers in the world. Without farmers, the vast majority of people on earth would be unable to feed themselves, yet the day-to-day sacrifices of the average American farmer are generally taken for granted by the rest of the population. Farming does not only involve physical hardships, but in recent years has involved an ever-increasing level of economic hardship. Whether this is due to depressed crop prices or any of several other factors is immaterial, as it is the mere fact that the average American farmer is hard-pressed to make ends meet which is of the utmost importance.
Because of these economic hardships, farmers have become quite adept at manufacturing their own equipment for use on the farm and/or modifying already existing equipment to perform another function. The list of such improvements is quite a long one, but could include such devices as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,166,351 issued to Nieuberg (an agricultural do-all machine) and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,098,722 issued to Richard (a versatile implement system). Such inventions as these have been invented by farmers to perform certain tasks and there are numerous examples of such devices found in the prior art. However, it is much more rare to find an invention in the prior art which renovates an obsolete piece of machinery and turns it into something that is very useful for the farmer. It is precisely this renovation of old machinery into new and useful machinery which results in great economic benefits for farmers, and thus allows them to invest more time, effort and money in improving crop production.
One particular piece of equipment which has become somewhat obsolete in the farming industry is the grinder-mixer unit (shown in FIG. 1, prior art) such as the grinder-mixer 358 unit manufactured by Sperry New Holland. The grinder-mixer unit is generally used to grind and mix livestock feed, and to mix various feed supplements such as vitamins or other medicines into the animal feed prior to giving the feed to the animal. With the decrease in the number of farmers who raise livestock, combined with the advent of feed mixtures produced by the manufacturer, the usefulness of the grinder-mixer unit has been greatly decreased and in many cases, the grinder-mixer unit remains unused by the farmer. This occurs in spite of the fact that the grinder-mixer unit is still operable and, with proper modification, could be used to perform other tasks. The unused machinery is then often sold at auction for pennies on the dollar, which benefits no one except the auctioneer. This then is an important need for the farmer, specifically, to renovate and resuscitate an already existing, somewhat obsolete piece of machinery and, by significantly modifying the unit, render it operable for a new task, one which will greatly assist the farmer in his or her daily duties. There is therefore a need for a method of modifying a grinder-mixer unit into a more useful piece of machinery.
Of the several jobs which must be performed by the farmer in raising crops each year, perhaps the most important and significant is the planting of the seed in the field to begin the crop growth process. Today, the vast majority of fields are planted by towing a seed planter behind a tractor, the seed planter dropping seed into the furrows created by the plows attached to the tractor to begin seed growth. The seed is generally stored within a number of large plastic bins towed behind the tractor, but it has been found that one of the most difficult tasks in performing the seed planting operation is in the filling of the bins with the seed. This must often be done by hand by the farmer lifting 50 pound bags of seed and emptying them one by one into the plastic seed bins. Large farming operations utilize specialized equipment for the loading of the seed into the bins, the equipment specifically being referred to as a seed tender. However, seed tender units are prohibitably expensive and are generally not purchasable by small to mid-size farmers, due to their excessive cost. However, modification of an already existing piece of machinery to replicate the operation of a seed tender unit would generally be within the financial capabilities of the average farmer and therefore there is a need for a method of modifying an already existing piece of equipment to replicate the operative characteristics of a seed tender unit.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method of modifying a grinder-mixer unit into a seed tender unit.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of modifying a grinder-mixer unit into a seed tender unit which would include the steps of providing a grinder-mixer unit having a frame, at least two ground-engaging wheels pivotally mounted on the frame, a generally upright bin mounted on the frame for holding material, a mixing auger rotatably mounted within the bin, a grinding device mounted adjacent the bin on the frame and in material transfer connection therewith for grinding the material and a processed material outlet device connecting to the grinding device for outputting the material after grinding thereof.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of modifying a grinder-mixer unit into a seed tender unit which involves the further steps of removing the mixing auger from the bin, disconnecting the outlet device from the grinding device, removing the grinding device from the frame, forming a lowermost seed output opening in the bin and adding a false floor plate in the bin angled from horizontal such that seed contacts the false floor plate and slides or tumbles into the lowermost seed output opening.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of modifying a grinder-mixer unit into a seed tender unit which includes the further steps of replacing the outlet device with an extended seed output auger having a general cylindrical outer wall and a rotatably mounted center auger, a lower end for receiving seed therein and an upper end for outputting seed therefrom, connecting the lower end of the seed output auger to the lowermost seed output opening of the generally conical seed feed lower bin portion, providing a seed feed control device interposed between the bin and the seed output auger for alternatively permitting and restricting seed flow from the generally upright bin and finally, connecting the seed output auger to a power device for rotating the center auger to transfer seed from the lower end of the seed output auger to the upper end of the seed output auger for depositing seed in designated locations.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of modifying a grinder-mixer unit into a seed tender unit which will renovate the already existing, somewhat obsolete grinder-mixer unit into the far more useful seed tender unit without requiring significant financial or material output.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of modifying a grinder-mixer unit into a seed tender unit which may be performed by persons having reasonable manufacturing skills, thus permitting a diverse group of manufacturers to implement the method of the present invention to allow the greatest number of farmers to benefit from the method of the present invention.
Finally, an object of the present invention is to provide a method of modifying a grinder-mixer unit into a seed tender unit which is relatively simple and inexpensive to implement and which will result in a seed tender unit which is safe, efficient and effective in use.